Cirque Du Soleil

For our birthday gift (both C and my birthdays are in May) C's parents got us tickets to Cirque Du Soleil in Philly for the show Kooza. I can't even describe how cool it was, except to say that I truly believe that seeing a Cirque Du Soleil show should be on everyone's life-list. It was amazing, breathtaking, beautiful and moving. I kept thinking how awesome it would be to take HAP to a show, but it's so expensive! We'll have to see, maybe as a graduation gift or something!!

Here is are some excerpts from a review of the show - I agree with everything this guy says!!

I'm holding my breath as acrobats fling themselves in and out of a 725-kilogram Wheel of Death. Picture two connected hamster wheels, spinning at such incredible speeds and heights it would make stunt-doubles cringe. The performers don't seem to worry about such things — they defy gravity and jump through the air, landing perfectly on the spinning wheels like their feet were born to land this stunt. I let out a gasp, relieved and excited at the same time. I look around and see similar reactions. This is Cirque du Soleil, where impressive human feats turbo-charges the blood of spectators. We might be witnessing a carefully rehearsed production, but the thrill is powerful nonetheless.

At KOOZA, extreme physical talent pours into every segment: a tightly-toned man balances on top of a 23-foot tower of chairs, even standing on one hand to the delighted applause of the packed tent; three contortionists bend their bodies at painful angles, and one performer even breakdances on her belly as her feet tap circles around her body; trapeze artists scurry across a high-wire, leaping over each other and riding a bike across the razor-thin line; and a juggler starts simply enough, bouncing balls off his chin while tossing eight other balls in the air, but he soon elicits swooning "ooohs!" when he starts juggling pins with his hands and feet.

Beyond the unique characteristics of touring and residents shows, there's a less obvious appeal never highlighted in press releases: the language of movement. Whether it's a high-wire act 25 feet in the air or a classic unicycle number, Cirque performers add an identifiable grace to how they move on stage. It's well-timed with the live music and never jarring; in fact, how the performers move on and off the stage can sometimes be as hypnotic as their actual act. There's a controlled symmetry to each performer's step, a trait that may not honed through rehearsals but instilled through mental preparation.

Lurking behind every Cirque shows are themes of child-like wonder and empowerment, but it's best to take this troupe at face value. After all, Cirque knows how to entertain and it rarely lags in momentum during a three-hour show. And when it does, the playful clowns and tricksters entertain the senses enough to allow us to catch our breath between death-defying feats. There's a mesmerizing flow to every Cirque act that hasn't faltered in its two decades of live performance.

Here are some picts. - Go see it!!!

Memorial Day Parade

The Kennett Square Memorial Day Parade was on Monday and we went to see H and her brownie troop ride on a float in the parade. The parade was actually quite big this year, with tons of vetrans riding in historic cars and scout troops from all over the area. There were bagpipers (my favorite) and war re-enacters and horses and firetrucks and marching bands. (for more parade picts, visit http://borrellihousehold.blogspot.com/ Great pictures Amy!) It was a decent parade and I was proud of our little town. H and her brownie troop dressed up as colonial girls and rode on a hay truck. Not sure why, and the "float" wasn't really decorated or had anything to explain why they were dressed up as colonial girls... I guess it was tough enough just getting all the girls there and in costume and on the truck - the whole "decorating the float" thing had be skipped. It was a lovely day and we all had fun. Ended up back at our house and had a cookout with C's mom and my dad came over as well. Happy Memorial Day!!

Here is the float approaching:



Here is our colonial girl and her friends:




- The Good Stepwitch

Winter Wonderland!

I wish I had a camera! Filming for the new movie, Marley and Me, staring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson is taking place in West Chester today about a block from our studio. They are filming a winter scene, so one of the main streets in town is all blanketed in fake snow! They put it on all the building overhangs and eves and all over the streets! It looks great, and with the cool, gray weather today, it's pretty darn believable! The attached picture was taken 3 days ago a couple miles outside of town.

-The Good Stepwitch

South Bend Trip

C and I traveled to South Bend, ID this past weekend for C's brother's graduation from Notre Dame. We drove. It took 11 hours. Around hour 8, I was re-thinking my whole fear-of-flying issue. But seriously, it wasn't that bad, and since we drove with C's parents, it didn't end up being a whole lot of driving time for any one person. We were all so glad that C's dad was able to make the trip. He did really well and had a great time. I was so glad he got to see C's two brothers, and that they got to see him and see that he is doing OK.

C's brother and his brother's wife were both graduating, so there were lots of ceremonies to attend, and lots of celebrating to do! We had a great time with family and touring the campus and C and I got to see his brother's house for the first time. Notre Dame is beautiful! It's so different from my college, Kutztown, PA! I'm sure they will miss living there, I know I would.

We pushed it on Sunday night and arrived home around midnight. C and I had taken Monday off, so we got to just lay around the house and rest after our busy weekend. As always, It was really nice to get away for a few days. But it makes getting back into the work groove that much harder! ugh.

-The Good Stepwitch

Confirmation Day

On Sunday, P became a confirmed member of our church. He was in classes the past two years, and is now considered an adult member. It's a big celebration at our church and we were all looking forward to the day! C and I celebrated with P the night before by going out to dinner and to see Iron Man, and we had a blast. Sunday morning we got to church for a confirmation brunch, which was huge! My parents also joined us, though C's parents couldn't make it. We gave P his gift, which was a album of photos of his whole family, (HAP's mom helped me with this) and special messages from all his family. I think he liked it. The service was nice too, the confirmands all wear white robes and get a corsage, and the parents of the confirmand stand with them as the pastor gives them a special blessing. Cake and more celebrating afterwards. It was really nice and made all the kids feel very special. I can't believe how grown-up P is becoming!

Farewell to the Butterflies

On Sunday morning, A decided it was time to set her butterflies free. We were happy about the decision, especially since one butterfly had died the night before. We opened the butterfly enclosure in our front yard and waited for the butterflies to take off. We also buried the not-so-fortunate butterfly, Bob, in the garden and said some kind words. The remaining 3 butterflies seemed nervous to take off though, so we left for church and came back to find them gone. Hope they enjoy the time they have left in the great outdoors!

Step-Mother's day

How cute are my Stepgirls? C and I took P out for dinner and a movie on Saturday night to celebrate his confirmation, which was on Sunday. (sidenote: IronMan was awesome! I already can't wait for the sequel.) When we got home around 11:00, the girls were already in bed. We said good night to my parents who were babysitting, and went up to go to bed. This is what I found on our bed:



What a cute surprise! The next morning, C brought me breakfast in bed and a sweet card. Step-Mother's day rocks!

-The Good Stepwitch

Best Xmas Gift Ever!

Before Xmas, C and I were having a tough time with gift ideas for A. This usually happens because HAP has about a million people buying Xmas gifts for them every year between our 2 families. After a lot of searching, one gift we came up with was a "Grow Your Own Butterflies" kit. A is a very nurturing and motherly kid, and she loves animals, so this seemed like it would be right up her alley. We gave the kit to her on Xmas, but told her we would have to wait until spring to begin the project so we could release our grown butterflies in the wild, when the weather was warm enough for them to survive.

So, after several months of waiting, we were finally ready to mail-order our catapillers and start our butterfly project. It took 3 weeks for the catapillers to arrive, and A asked every day she saw us: "Are they here yet??" Her little catapillers arrived in a clear cup with a lid punched with air holes and a set of instructions. There were 5 catapillers in the cup and she promptly named all 5 and claimed to be able to tell them apart quite easily! She took them with her between our and her mom's house each night, keeping careful watch to see when they would turn into crysellis (sp?). Right on time, after about 7 days, the catapillers crawled to the top of the container and hung upside down from the lid and formed 5 crysellis. The instructions at this point say to carefully transport the lid of the cup (with the crysellis) into the larger butterfly mesh enclosure. The lid sslips into a sleeve at the top of the enclosure and you let the crysellis hang in there until they hatch. Well, A did this part of her own at her mom's house one evening, and accidently knocked all 5 crysellis off the lid. She then placed them by hand in the enclosure. Then, she had second thoughts, and placed the crysellis on little pillows she made out of tissues on the floor of the enclosure. (She wanted them to be on something soft - how cute is that?) It was about that time she realized that one of the crysellis was leaking some clear goo out one end...oh-oh. When she brings it to our house a couple of days later, we look at the directions and it says all over the place how you are not supposed to handle the crysellis, how they are very fragile, ect. So we park the butterfly enclosure at our house and keep our fingers crossed that maybe we'll get one butterfly.

After 2 weeks of watching and waiting and hearing A ask us every day: "Have you checked on my butterflies? Did anything happen?" C and I were trying to figure out the best way to tell A that maybe her 5 little catapillers weren't going to become butterflies. And then, miracle of miracles, last week as I leaving for work I happened to look at the cage and there were 2 butterflies in there!!! I was so excited and ran to get the kit instructions to see if I had to do anything once they hatched! Even better, when I got home from work, there were a total of 4 butterflies!! The only one that didn't hatch was the crysellis that was leaking... C and I were amazed and A is over the moon. She feeds the butterflies everyday and claims to recognize them all from their catapiller days. Too funny. I can't wait for next Xmas, I want to get her a tadpole kit to watch it turn into a frog!

Bamboozled!

So last weekend was my birthday, and my husband decided to celebrate by leaving with his son P for a weekend punk-pop music concert in New Jersey. Thanks hon...

But seriously, this was a big event for the two of them, and it sounds like it was a great weekend. My husband, C, is a rabid music fan, and it's something he has always enjoyed sharing with P. The two of them have gone to several concerts and festivals together over the years. The festival they went to this past weekend was called "BAMBOOZLE" and it was at the Meadowlands for two whole days! C has a long history of going to crazy concerts, stage diving, crowd surfing and moshing (so many of my friends have a hard time picturing him doing all that...) but when he and P went to concerts in the past, they would kind of hang back and watch the craziness from a distance because P was small and not used to such a insane scene. But apparently, that all changed at Bamboozle! C was so excited when he told me that this was the first time P let go and became actively involved in a concert. He was dancing and moshing and screaming and having an amazing time! It sounds silly, but C was really proud, and I was so happy that they got to have such a great father-son weekend together. Attached is a picture of the two of them waiting to get into the show. As you can see, it wasn't the greatest weather, but that didn't seem to matter at all! My two punk-pop boys weren't going to let a little rain stop them from from having a good time!

– The Good Stepwitch